Gregg Popovich Comments on Spurs' Poor Play After Loss to Bulls

Following the San Antonio Spurs' 95-91 loss to the Chicago Bulls Thursday, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was blunt in his assessment of how his team performed. 

According to ESPN.com's Michael C. Wright, Popovich lamented the notion that the Spurs failed to turn in a full, 48-minute effort:

"

We played 24 minutes again, as we have for about the last 10 games. We go through the motions in the first half. I think we shot one free throw in the first half. We shot four or so the second half. But we played harder in the second half. I don't know if we played much smarter. Our opponents have outplayed us physically and execution-wise in most first halves for most of the season. So now we pull it together in the second half, and played harder and smarter and got it to (a) four (-point deficit). That's the disappointing part: We're not a very consistent team, and we haven't learned as a group that the game is 48 minutes. We also have some people playing very poorly. You have to participate in your own recovery. Some players have to play better.

"

San Antonio struggled in nearly all aspects Thursday, as it shot just 40.2 percent from the field, attempted only five free throws and turned the ball over 12 times with 11 assists.

The Spurs are a veteran-laden team boasting the likes of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Pau Gasol, and Popovich stressed that he doesn't believe they need added motivation to play great basketball:

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I don't remember playing tonight. No Knute Rockne speeches. It's your job. If you're a plumber and you don't do your job, you don't get any work. I don't think a plumber needs a pep talk. A doctor botches operations, and he's not a doctor anymore. If you're a basketball player, you come ready. It's called maturity. It's your job.

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Despite the Spurs' issues Thursday and for much of the season in terms of falling behind in the first half, they are second in the Western Conference and the NBA as a whole with a record of 18-5. That includes an 8-2 mark over their past 10 games.

After consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2012-13 and 2013-14, the Spurs have stumbled in the playoffs in recent years.

They were ousted in the second round last season after suffering a first-round exit in 2014-15.

While an aging core could be to blame, San Antonio boasts legitimate superstars in their prime in the form of Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge.

Popovich is well aware that the NBA season is a marathon rather than a sprint, as evidenced by his penchant for resting players during the regular season at times.

A perceived lack of effort is something he has never tolerated, however, and it is fair to wonder if recent postseason failures have made him more sensitive to those issues than before.

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